Crowd grows slowly on second day of Michigan Rock 'n Rib Fest in downtown Saginaw

SAGINAW, MI – Today’s crowd was a slow build after an opening day that drew 3,587 people to the Michigan Rock ‘n Rib Fest at downtown Saginaw's FirstMerit Bank Event Park.

But that didn’t stop the party, from popular performers like Matt Besey and the Josh Ramses Band to community supporters like Wallace "Jim" Hill, who opened Wally’s Old Fashioned Sandwich Shop, 216 S. Washington, nearly three decades ago.

“People told me 28 years ago that I was crazy to bring a restaurant downtown; we never even imagined anything like this was possible,” he said, looking at the outdoor pavilion.

“When we played the old blues festivals at the Haithco Recreation Area, we always wished Saginaw had a place like this for us to play,” he said. “And today, I’m here, playing it. This is what we’ve needed for so long.”

Closing tonight’s show is Brian VanderArk, lead singer of The Verve Pipe, at 9 p.m.

The festival continues through 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18, closing with The Howling Diablos from Detroit. Gates open at 11 a.m. and admission costs $5, including parking, for festival goers 10 and older.

The FirstMerit Bank Event Park is on Johnson, across the street from The Dow Event Center.